Working on Living that Dream

Tag: canada

The last month has been busy, full of activities, events and work shenanigans.

So here’s what my March and April have looked like:

WEDDING TIME
Celebrating our boss’ wedding at Nita Lake Lodge, with photo booths, plenty of dancing and all the wine. It was a fun time…

BLUEBIRD DAYS
These have been far and few between, so when one falls on your weekend, you take as many photos as possible. Oh, glorious Whistler!

THESE GIRLS!
Having awesome gals to ride with makes life so much better, it’s been the best couple of months sharing the hill with these babes.

KONGA
Classes have started up again, and I still have to advertise like crazy and build a following, but I’m having fun in the process. Plus, when the view from the room is this good and the tunes are loud, life is good!

BAKERY LIFE
I still love this job, even on the difficult days. Easter weekend hit us hard, but with such a good team it was super fun! This week we have four favourites leaving us, and it’s making my heart very sad. This town sucks sometimes, no one sticks around for too long. On the plus side, this means I have people around the world to visit!

Not pictured: lots of wine-based after work activities, getting my bike back out and riding to work most days, learning to read bus timetables again, walking to work when the sun is shining and all of the spring/summer anticipation.

The snow is melting, the sun has been making more frequent appearances and we can now stay outside for longer than 10 minutes at a time. There’s a lot to look forward to in Whistler, and I’m so happy to be here 🙂

70cm of snow in the last 24 hours and I feel like this town has completely transformed. We now live in a snow globe and aren’t mad about it at all.

Also in the last 24 hours:

Both of the mountains have opened for skiing and snowboarding (!!), our neighbours have rented out their place to air b’n’b-ers who are making a nice attempt at this video, we begun playing Christmas carols at work while setting up decorations and unpacking Christmas treats, I traded exercise for a mini Friends marathon, have felt in desperate need of some more sleep, and am gearing up for the new Gilmore Girls season available tomorrow!

Well, well, well. Here we are. Two weeks shy of our six month anniversary of our Australian hiatus and we’re packing our backpacks to head back home (only for two and a half weeks!).

Yesterday was Canadian thanksgiving, but also the last official day the bike park was open and therefore the last day of the summer season! It was quite fitting for those two things to fall on the same day (ha, Fall – geddit?). It was quite a day of reflection and to feel thankful for this incredible place. I’m feeling so full of joy looking back on our first Canadian summer.

The last few weeks in particular have been a dream, from conquering my goals in the bike park;

to walking into work everyday with a huge smile on my face;

to having Alistair’s girlfriend Ellen visit, having a ball with her and hitting up the train wreck hike again (it doesn’t get old!);

to watching Fall officially hit Whistler, with trees changing into the most vibrant of colours;

and seeing the first snowfall of the season!!!

We’ve also spent a small fortune on winter gear, snowboards and ALL THE LAYERS. I’m getting so pumped for winter and what this new season will bring for us.
But first, to head home and celebrate the wedding of two very dear friends! Can’t wait to see some familiar faces, eat some fresh food and soak up the last of the sunshine. See you all very soon!!!

Hanbel.
x

P.s. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to wish my love a very, very happy 29th birthday!
I feel like I’ve said a variation of these words a million times since we left, but my goodness I am one lucky duck. To get to explore so many new places, a new way of life and new experiences everyday with your best friend by your side is a dream come true.

We both thought this move might be a bit of a test for us, and I think it’s safe to say we’ve never been happier – individually and together. Bring on the next year and more incredible moments like these! I love you, you crazy kid. x

This past weekend has probably been the best ever. So, so, so much fun. So much sunshine, so many outdoor activities, so many goals ticked off the list.

And the weather has been absolutely glorious! After the first two week of September washing us out and freezing us to the core, we were convinced we’d be in for a rough Autumn. Mother nature had other ideas though, and blessed us with non-stop sunshine and mid-twenty degree days.

This weekend we had planned for our mate Reuben to come up for a visit. He and Jill (this beautiful married couple) have been living in their van, travelling around BC, climbing rocks like crazy folk. Jill is down in Vancouver at the moment, learning how to become a yoga instructor, so Reuben thought he’d pop by to give mountain biking a red hot go.

One lap of Easy Does It (the basic green run on the mountain) and he was bored, which made Andrew and I SO HAPPY. Reubs rode bmx as a kid and picked up mountain biking so quickly. We managed to tick off a tonne of blue runs, snuck in a black and made it to the garbo zone for a full hour long run. Safe to say he was one happy chappy, and I ticked off so many personal goals that day too. It was by far the best day I’ve had on the bike and I have Andrew to thank for being the perfect balance between coach and riding buddy.

I’d also been out with a work mate a couple of days ago (who snapped the below picture you may have seen on my instagram), and the combination of those two days out means that I’ve now ridden every blue and green run on the mountain – happy days!

The next morning, my legs had seen better days but with a day off together we pushed ourselves to head back up the mountain – without a bike this time. Andrew and I hopped in the gondie as soon as it opened, rode it as far as it would take us and set out on an alpine hike.

We took the Harmony Meadows to High Note to Half Note Trail, which would have been around 10km and took us 2 hours, 40 minutes. We had to cut it short due to Andrew’s riding plans, but I was secretly ecstatic about that.

The hike was stunning, alpine hiking is insane and like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The thinner air and constant uphills made it challenging, but we made it through and still smiled by the end!

We actually started in the opposite direction to what is recommended (the chairlift to take us to the the proper trail head didn’t run until 11am), so we begun in rough, open conditions, full of loose rocks and mediocre scenery.

I’m glad we got that out of the way though, because as we turned the corner an hour in, we were dumbfounded by the sights.

Photos absolutely do not do it justice, because the views of Cheakamus Lake and surrounding mountains were breathtaking.

A couple of tips for long hikes:

Clif bars are the greatest thing in the world

As is water

Don’t buy that last wine at the bar the night before

Wear sunscreen. FML

Have a good hiking buddy and make fun conversation about all the amazing adventures you’ve already been on

When you start climbing steep hills, stop that conversation immediately

Apologise to your knees for the downhill slopes

High-five at the end because you didn’t die!

With all the riding we’d been smashing out, I’d forgotten how great hikes can be. This weekend definitely showed me how incredible Whister is in the summer, and how many activities there are to fill your spare time.

We finished up the weekend with healthy nachos, plenty of guacamole and beginning season four of Scandal. It was grand!

Oh man, I’ve been a bit of a mess this week. It’s been a couple of emotional days; struggling at work, missing home, falling out of love with the bike park. BUT things are happening, and it’s changing around for me (I promise to give more details very soon).

In light of the last couple of days, I woke up today ready to change my mindset. I’ve started the day the best way I know how: went for a run, did some yoga, had a big coffee and, of course, peanut butter.

I also wanted to shed some light on some of the amazing things about this town that we have been loving over the last two months. There’s always a silver lining, and whistler has plenty!

Peak 2 Peak

One lazy Sunday morning, we took ourselves up on the Peak 2 Peak and it was phenomenal!

I’m not even sure what path we went on, but we were attempting to find the snow walls. After half an hour or more of walking up hill in high altitude (safe to say our lungs were in struggle town!), we made it to the summit. Next time, we’ll go the right way and have a proper look and play around.

Harley, you can pay me for advertising any time 😉

This was a good day.

2. Splitz Grill, beeeeeessssttttt burgers!

3. Callaghan Valley

This was part of the Jeep tour I got to do last week, I felt like a very lucky gal to be taken out here and shown some more views of this incredible slice’o’heaven – at sunset no less!

4. Cheap drinks 🙂

While the food can be stupidly expensive, it is teaching us how to shop economically and not to waste anything. We had a very lucky life in Perth, but I do think we were a little greedy and spoilt.

Having said that – alcohol is much cheaper. With all of the happy hours in town, drink specials and cheap liquor stores, we are never short of a good drop 😉

5. The cuddly bears

Jokes, do not cuddle a bear. They will kill you. But they are super cute, and I’m still not sick of seeing them around the mountain!

6. Beavertails

I really wanted to dislike these. I was hoping they would be far too sweet and gross. I was right, but if you go halves with a mate it’s a fun little treat! Once every six months will do though…

There’s plenty more to love about Whistler, like when the sun finally comes out and you grab a six pack and picnic, ride down to a lake (there are many options), bask in the sunshine and stare at the mountains. Or when you and a mate from home go on a hike through the most luscious green forests, talking non-stop for two hours straight. Or when you come home from a long day at work and your loft is toasty warm, you’ve discovered another season of Archer on Netflix and you settle in with a glass of wine or cup of tea.

I also love that I get to share it all with this amazing dude, one of the most patient and positive people I know. He’s constantly trying to see the best in any situation and motivates me to do the same. Love ya kiddo!

I have loved this app, re-watching the little clips always puts a smile on my dial. I just mashed our first four weeks of Whistler life and it’s a nice reminder how nervous I was in the beginning and how life is steadily improving here, day by day.

However, I seemed to have forgotten my camera and miss having actual photos to look over. I started work last week also, which makes it a little more difficult to pick up my phone all the time. So, please enjoy my last One Second Everyday video … for now.

Whistler is a pretty speculator place. Yes, it’s touristy, and yes, Australians flock here, but it’s for good reason. No matter where you turn, you are greeted by mountains, creeks and astonishing views.

We’ve hit the ground running here, Andrew went straight into his course from the moment we arrived (he’s training to be a mountain bike coach, for those who don’t know). I’ve been lucky enough to crash with Tash and Blake (friends from home), which has made life so much easier.

I have also been lucky enough to score a job in Whistler already, working for a company who organise holiday rentals, activities, restaurant bookings etc. for higher-end travellers. I start in a couple of weeks and am actually pumped to get back into full time work.

In the meantime, I’m taking myself on small hikes and rides, checking out the village and just hanging out with my new besties!

Being a tourist town, life is a little more pricey up here. Groceries in particular, are really making me a sad panda. Though, we have found one perk. 1.5L of red wine for $15. So we might just live off potatoes and wine from now on…

Why do I always pull this face?

The mountain bike park opened up this weekend, and the village has been flooded with riders in all shapes and sizes. We’ve enjoyed a couple of afternoons in the sunshine watching them all come down the hill. The kids who ride with no fear, flying down the trail, are so incredible to watch!

On Andrew’s day off we took the bikes out to a smaller, cross country style area. Even though my lungs got a huge shock, it felt sooooo good to be back on the bike!

Just this morning I took myself off to Lululemon’s free yoga session, and later today we’re going to hit up a Farmer’s Market down the hill. There’s always something happening or something new to discover, which is helping us all stay positive while performing the arduous task of finding somewhere to live. Whistler housing is insane, there are not enough houses to go round, and we’re struggling a little at the moment. Finger’s crossed something pops up soon!